


Timeless Love

by Candy_A



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Holiday: v-day, M/M, None - Freeform, Series: The Diary Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 04:38:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/794050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candy_A/pseuds/Candy_A
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Blair make a decision about their wedding, and celebrate Valentine's Day.<br/>This story is a sequel to Give Me Your Love for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timeless Love

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to listsib Sandy, who kindly provided me with information on Hawaiian weddings, customs, and even the name of a church, and Virginia, who surfed the 'net for information on Hawaiian same sex marriages and related topics! Sorry things veered off course, but I've tried to make it up to you both in the story! ;-) 
> 
> "In This Life" was written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, and the version I'm using is from Collin Raye's album of the same title. "Timeless Love" is credited at the end of the story. 
> 
> Mistakes are all mine. I proofed this baby myself. :-)

## Timeless Love

by Candy Apple

Author's webpage: <http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3281>

Author's disclaimer: Pet Fly owns the guys and The Sentinel. No money being made. Just for fun.

* * *

Blair sighed loudly and stared out the window of his office at the steadily falling snow. The campus was really quite beautiful in the dead of winter, with the barren trees appearing to be made of glass, offset by the occasional frosted pine and the rolling snowy hills that in the spring would again be dotted with students, studying and relaxing and picnicking. Those same students scurried quickly across campus now, hunkered down in multiple layers of clothing. 

Tearing his eyes away from the winter scene below his window, Blair's eyes settled on the photo of Jim and himself. They had finally gone in and had a professional portrait done. This shot had been anything but posed, though. Tired of the stilted poses the photographer was shooting--and tired of wondering if he'd shoot it the same way for a male-female couple, Jim had slid his arms around Blair from behind and rested his chin on the shorter man's shoulder, so their faces were next to each other. The impish grin on Jim's face and the pure delight on Blair's were too good for the photographer to resist. He had snapped several shots while the moment lasted, and now it was captured there in a frame. The casual pose was a humorous contrast to the suits they had worn, which they'd both agreed later wasn't their look anyway. So the pose of the two of them cutting up while wearing the dress clothes was more fitting than ever. 

Next to that photo was another, older photo. Not yet lovers, but already having feelings beyond friendship for each other, the two men had posed for a photo at Blair's surprise birthday party. Jim had his arm around Blair's shoulders, and Blair had happily mirrored the gesture with an arm around Jim's waist. 

So next a wedding photo should join the collection. Blair sighed again. Sometimes the whole concept of the wedding seemed as stilted as the suits they'd worn to the photo session. As the time drew closer, Blair couldn't help feeling that this ceremony would somehow devalue the vow they'd made to each other after making love one night, and then reinforced with their matching rings. What more was there to do? And could anything mean more than whispering those words in the privacy of their bed, still joined from their lovemaking? Could anything hope to mean that much? 

Jim hadn't seemed all that pumped up about the wedding idea, but he'd gone along with it for Blair. Now that the date was in sight, just a few days away, with a slew of arrangements, reservations and plans in place, Blair found himself going through with it for Jim. 

If it would make it legal, that would be different. But it wasn't even legal in Hawaii yet, let alone at home in Cascade. They had merged bank accounts, exchanged every piece of paper the law provided for two people to exchange, and Jim was raising numerous eyebrows within the municipal government trying to push the Cascade PD into recognizing domestic partners for benefits. Since Blair was still a ways from having the new dissertation project to a point of completion, the insurance benefits from Jim's job would have been helpful. It still moved Blair beyond words that this man who had spent his entire adult life in military/police culture would not only acknowledge him publicly as his life partner, but would start making waves in that very culture to force the establishment to acknowledge their union with more than passing tolerance. 

All tied together this way, and having exchanged their vows already, wearing each other's rings, the whole wedding idea was suddenly turning a bit sour for Blair. He'd wondered why his enthusiasm was waning at first, but then he realized that he felt no stirring at exchanging vows because they'd already done that. All the wedding would do was have them restate their promise in front of witnesses. But the trip to Hawaii wasn't cheap, and the only witnesses would be Simon, Stephen and Naomi. That was only made possible by Jim's brother managing to get use of his company's corporate jet to fly the group there in style--and free of charge. 

He wanted a celebration of their relationship with all their friends there. With his friends and colleagues from the University--those who would be happy for him anyway, and the people who had become both their friends at the department... For that matter, Blair wanted to shout it from the rooftops--not slither off to Hawaii and "take care of it" with a couple close friends and relatives nearby. 

Slumping back in his chair, he tossed the pen he'd been using to grade exams onto the top of the pile and pulled off his glasses, sending them to land next to the pen. 

"That bad, huh?" Jim's voice from the doorway startled him, and he smiled as his favorite person headed across the room, closing the office door with a little kick. 

"The exams are okay," Blair replied, his tone dismal despite the smile. 

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Jim gave his lover a quick kiss on the lips and then sat across from him, against the edge of the desk. 

"It's the wedding," Blair answered honestly. 

"What about it? Did something go wrong with the plans?" 

"Yeah. Me." 

"I'm not following, Chief. Just say it." 

"I don't want to go through with it." Blair was so clear on his meaning that he never would have expected to see the stunned, wounded expression on Jim's face. "Oh, my God, no, I didn't mean it that way, mine," Blair hastened to reassure him, taking one of the larger hands in both of his and kissing it. "It's just that...we're already married. It seems like...like it somehow makes the moment we really got married, that we vowed to each other, unimportant." 

"The night we made love, and said the vows?" Jim clarified, nodding a little. "I sort of considered that was it, too. But I guess when we got the rings, and then did all the paperwork, it seemed like we ought to make it official." 

"As soon as we leave Hawaii, it's invalid again. But our vows, the ones we made that night--they're forever, and they cross all the boundaries--of states, nations, oceans, life, death...those, to me, are eternal." 

"I agree," Jim responded, his voice a bit husky with emotion. He had felt somewhat disappointed that they were going to go through another wedding ceremony, as if their vows and the exchange of wedding rings hadn't had any significance and needed some other ceremony to have meaning. 

"You aren't upset?" 

"No. Relieved might be a better word." Jim let out a long breath and laughed a little. "Man, I thought I was getting dumped for a minute there." He shook his head, as if to shake off the thought. Blair stood up and took Jim's face in both his hands. 

"Don't ever think that--don't ever worry about it. I won't ever leave you, you know that." 

"I know, sweetheart. I know." Jim pulled the other man tightly into his arms. "You smell good," Jim commented, smiling into Blair's loose hair. "Shampoo...it's that one that you know makes me horny as hell." 

"I think I could wash my hair with Palmolive and it would make you horny. You have a hair fetish, man." Blair laughed, partially at Jim's ardor for his hair, and partially at the little growl the other man emitted before finding a tasty spot on Blair's neck to turn into a giant passion mark. His laughter fast became a sigh. 

"Better call Sandy," Jim said, pulling back and kissing the end of Blair's nose. 

"Oh, man, she is _not_ going to like this. After all that information she pulled together for us on Hawaii, and finding the church..." 

"And then there's Virginia in the library," Jim reminded him, swooping down again for another neck-attack. 

"She found us all that domestic partner information on the 'net--but hey, we're still gonna use that. You're making the mayor's life miserable with it," Blair said in a half groan, getting decidedly more excited by Jim's attentions by the minute. Then he spotted again the plastic bag with the card shop logo on it that Jim had brought in and set behind him on the desk. 

"What's in the bag?" Blair asked, feeling the busy mouth freeze in its work, and the larger man pulled bag marginally, still keeping his arms clamped tightly around Blair's waist, as if the smaller man might try to escape. 

"You're going to think it's stupid. I don't even know why I bought it. It _is_ stupid. I can take it back if--" 

"Jim, just take breath, buddy. How about letting me see it before you take it back?" Blair asked through a little chuckle, stroking Jim's face with a gentle hand. It wasn't often he got to see Jim uneasy and blushing. He found it all very endearing, and also a little sad, wondering if Jim's idea of romantic gifts had gone over like lead balloons with Carolyn. 

"I feel silly. I should have never bought it. I just saw it and--" 

"Jim, give me the bag," Blair commanded, grasping Jim's shoulders. The other man laughed a little, somewhat easing his obvious tension. It didn't take sentinel touch to feel the tautness in the considerable mass of muscles in Jim's shoulders. 

"Okay, but if you laugh at me, I'll..." Jim looked at the bag a moment before handing it to Blair. "In this case, I'll completely understand." He handed the bag to Blair, who stepped back a little to open it. He did laugh, but it was a good laugh. Blair had never gotten a silly, romantic, stuffed toy for Valentine's Day before, and he adored it. Even if it was a green plush, leggy frog holding a red satin heart with white letters commanding, "Kiss Me, Baby". 

"I just thought of you when I saw it--Oh, man, I don't mean it that way. I mean, not the frog part, but--" 

"Hey, lover, calm down," Blair said, still smiling and inspecting the frog with its bulging eyes and sappy expression. "I love it. I love you. Nobody ever got me one of those stuffed Valentine things before." Blair slid an arm around Jim's neck and pulled him down for a prolonged kiss. 

"At least it works," Jim responded as they parted, and both of them laughed a little. "This isn't the whole thing--I mean it isn't all you're getting or anything. I have something else...a real present. But I kind of always wanted to buy one of these for somebody..." Jim trailed off, shrugging. 

"Listen to me," Blair said softly, keeping the frog tucked under one arm while he took a hold of Jim's arms. "You don't have to apologize for getting me a present. I love it. It's romantic, it's silly--it's the perfect kind of present for Valentine's Day. I love that you got me something romantic like this. I love anything you get me because when I open it, I can almost feel the love oozing out of it. You've never bought me anything you didn't pick out with love. How could I not want something like that?" 

"How'd I luck out and end up with you, huh?" Jim said in a husky voice, pulling Blair, and the unfortunate frog, into a crushing hug. 

"You gave me so much love that I was spoiled for anybody else, that's how," Blair responded, squeezing back. He smiled, feeling Jim tighten the embrace a little more, and deliver two or three quick kisses to Blair's neck before drawing back. 

"You honestly like it?" 

"I honestly love it. Besides, I, um, still have to give you my present, and I don't want _you_ laughing at _me_." 

"You got this one early, so where's mine?" 

"In the drawer, as a matter of fact. I got it this morning when I stopped at the bagel place in the food court at the mall. It was in the window of the card shop, and..." Blair shrugged. 

"Come on, Sandburg, no stalling. I showed you my frog. Now it's your turn," Jim teased. 

"Man, that sounds really sexual," Blair responded, opening the large bottom desk drawer and pulling out a bag not unlike the one Jim had brought with him. "Happy Early Valentine's Day," Blair declared, handing Jim the bag and watching as the other man, small smile tugging at his mouth, opened the bag and pulled the black, hairy item inside out of its hiding place. Jim laughed out loud. 

He was holding a stuffed gorilla, about fifteen inches tall, wearing white boxer shorts with red hearts on them. 

"Squeeze his paw," Blair instructed, smiling at Jim's reaction to the Valentine critter in his hands. Jim did as directed, and laughed when the refrain of "Wild Thing" emanated from the stuffed beast, ending with the declaration of "Wild Thing, I think I love you" and the last four guitar chords that went with it. 

"And I was worried about a harmless little frog," Jim replied, still laughing, but resisting the urge to start up the song again. 

"Actually, he kind of goes with the rest of your present, but you have to wait until Saturday night for that." 

"He's great. Thank you, sweetheart," Jim responded, smiling and leaning forward to plant a big, wet kiss on Blair's mouth. 

"GMTA, huh, lover?" Blair said, grinning as he inspected his frog. 

"What?" Jim looked up, puzzled. 

"It's an e-mail abbreviation for 'great minds think alike'." 

"I see. Well, I better get going. I've got a meeting with Simon and the Chief in about twenty minutes." 

"Anything I should know about?" Blair asked. 

"I don't know what it's about myself yet. Simon hadn't come in yet when I took off for my lunch break, so I don't know what's up. I'll call you later." 

"Okay. I guess that means I have to call Sandy." 

"And Virginia." Jim dropped a kiss on Blair's forehead and, tucking his boxer-clad gorilla back in his bag, headed for the door. 

"Oh, man. They're gonna _kill_ me." 

"They better not. I've got plans for you tonight. GNYTTM, baby," Jim tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the door. 

"What does that mean?" Blair frowned, and Jim turned around, grinning devilishly. 

"It's a horny cop abbreviation for 'gonna nail you to the mattress'. Have a good day, Chief." And with that, Jim was out the door, leaving a speechless, but aroused, Anthropologist standing there hugging a stuffed frog. 

* * *

Dreading informing his two "research" helpers that the wedding was a no-go, Blair opted for the personal touch of visiting instead of calling. Hopeful that the right combination of sweet smiles and puppy-dog eyes would get him off the hook, he made his way to Sandy's office first. As fate would have it, the attractive young Hawaiian native who was attempting to adjust to the rigors of a Cascade winter, was between appointments in her job as an academic advisor. She brightened immediately when Blair tapped on her open door. 

"Good morning, Blair! Hey, the big day's almost here," she added, grinning conspiratorially. 

"Um, well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. You've been such a major help with getting me all that info on Hawaii--" 

"My pleasure. Just remember you promised to have lots of pictures taken so--" 

"Jim and I...we decided not to get married in Hawaii after all." Blair watched her, waiting for the explosion. 

"Is anything wrong?" 

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," he hastened to explain. "See, we kind of exchanged vows between us already, and we have the rings...and going to Hawaii and doing it all again seemed...wrong somehow. Like the first vows weren't binding or something. And they are--more than any others we could ever take." Blair perched on the edge of one of the chairs across from her desk. "Plus, we really can't have most of our friends there, and it wouldn't be valid here at home anyway." Blair paused. "I really am sorry about all the work you did for nothing." 

"I made a few phone calls, took a few notes--it's okay, Blair. Really." She smiled, watching the stress drain out of the man in front of her. "I understand. So what are you guys doing for Valentine's Day now that all your plans have changed?" 

"Probably the same thing we would have done in Hawaii, only at home." Blair blushed a little, and then they both burst out laughing. 

Buoyed by the smooth sailing of his first meeting, he headed for the library to find Virginia, his favorite reference librarian. There was almost nothing she couldn't locate on the Internet, and what she didn't find there, she managed to excavate out of some dark recess of the archives. 

Smiling to himself as he thought of how he seemed to find a way to make most of his requests of attractive young women on campus, he spotted Virginia at her computer, keys clicking furiously. There was only room in his heart for Jim now, but married wasn't dead, and he could still enjoy the campus scenery. 

"Hi, Blair," she said, still watching the screen when he was still a good several feet away from her desk. 

"How do you _do_ that?" he asked, wondering if Virginia was a closet sentinel, the way she always knew it was him without looking up. 

"You expect me to give away all my secrets?" she asked, finally looking up at him over her glasses, which she then moved to rest on top of her auburn hair, backing away from her monitor a bit. "What can I do for you?" 

"Well, nothing really. I just wannted to let you know that, ah Jim and I aren't, um, going to get married in Hawaii after all." 

"Oh, no! You didn't split up, did you?" she asked immediately, her face a mask of concern. 

"I guess I've gotta start telling people first that we *didn't* break up," Blair responded, smiling. "See, we took vows on our own a while ago, and something just feels wrong about going to Hawaii and doing it again--like we're saying we *haven't* been married all along. And as far as we're concerned, we have been. Besides, it's not like we can do it with all our friends there." Blair paused. "I just wanted you to know that we both really appreciate all the information you dug up for us." 

"Jim hasn't given up on the domestic partnership issue with the PD, has he?" 

"Oh, no. It still really blows me away that he's doing that. I mean, right along, I've been shocked that he's been so...direct about us with everybody." 

"I'm really glad to hear that. He seems like a really straightforward kind of person." 

"He is. Well, I gotta run. I've got a seminar in about fifteen minutes. Look, I really appreciate all your help." 

"No problem. I enjoyed the research." 

Relieved that neither of the women were angry at their wasted efforts, Blair made his way to his seminar. 

* * *

"What did Simon and the big boss want?" Blair asked drowsily, nestling into the warmth of Jim's arms. They'd barely made it inside the door before abandoning the though of dinner for the time being and heading upstairs. Blair hadn't been "nailed to the mattress" by any means, but he had been lovingly but thoroughly taken, and was content now to drift between sleeping and waking, listening to Jim's heart thumping reassuringly under his ear. 

"Why don't you catch a quick nap before dinner, sweetheart?" Jim kissed Blair's forehead and exhaled loudly. 

"Jim." 

"The chief was 'suggesting' that perhaps I should let this whole domestic partner issue rest. Honestly? I was more pissed at Simon for offering to get you on the department's insurance plan. Like goddamned hush money." 

"He probably didn't mean it that way, lover. Maybe he thought that was the big thing you were concerned about--getting insurance and stuff like that for me." 

"That's part of it, but eventually that's not going to be the issue. I want you to get my pension when something happens to me--" 

"Don't go there, Jim. I don't want your pension. I want you." 

"I know that, baby. I want you too--not your life insurance or your power of attorney or anything else like that. That isn't the point. The point is that if something _did_ happen, I have a right to provide for you just like I would provide for my wife. Oh, man. Not that I'm trying to turn you into my wife, but--" 

"I get it, Jim. I didn't even turn into a frog at the word 'wife'. I know what you meant." Blair planted a kiss over Jim's heart. "Look, you've provided for me just fine without the department. I'm going to finish my dissertation--someday," Blair added, smiling a little. "And when I do, I can try for a real job. I won't need you to support me financially all my life." 

"Everyone's missing the point. Shit, I thought you'd at least get it." 

"I know what you're trying to do. And I couldn't love you more than I do for trying it, but I don't want you to get assigned all the dull, dirty, dangerous jobs because you're campaigning for something and they want you out. They can make it hot for you, love. I don't want that. It isn't necessary." Blair raised up to look at Jim, still resting a hand on the broad chest. "I know you're trying to strike a blow for us, to make the PD officially accept us. I think that's...amazing. It still blows me away that you would do that. But I don't want you do ruin your career over it. No one's keeping us apart. No one's forbidding us to be together. Hell, we're even working together. And if you piss the chief off too much more, you can bet that won't go on much longer." 

"I hadn't thought of that." 

"That's the place we're vulnerable. We want to work together. If he forbids it, we're history as a working team." 

"So you think I should back down?" 

"Oh, hell, I don't know." Blair slumped back against Jim's chest. "Naomi's protested against things for years, but she had nothing to lose when she did it. You can beg the powers that be to save the rainforest and not lose something dear to you in doing it. Our partnership is at their mercy, lover. I want to work with you. All the domestic partner papers and pensions and insurance plans in the world don't mean as much to me as that, and they certainly won't make us more married or more in love. We've got that covered." 

"I never thought you would want me to back off of this." 

"I don't want us to lose our partnership. Think about this a minute--the chief has already turned his head to you working with your male lover, who isn't a cop. Most of the other cops at least treat us with courtesy, if not acceptance, and our friends have handled it just fine. We can't make the whole world turn upside down overnight. It's just like this whole wedding issue. Gay and lesbian activists have worked tirelessly to get same-sex marriages legalized. They're still working. But it takes time. And in time, the Cascade PD will probably have domestic partnership policies. Maybe because of us, but maybe just not yet." 

"So I should back off and take the insurance and walk away satisfied with my hush money? I don't think so. They can shove their insurance up their ass. If they aren't going to let me have that benefit for you because we're married, they can keep it. You're not some charity case who needs free insurance." 

"It would be a big savings--" 

"I said NO. Now just drop it," Jim snapped back, and Blair fell silent. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." Jim rubbed the soft skin of Blair's back on long, soothing strokes. "I know you don't need me to take care of you, but I want to. I want to provide for you, and it pisses me off that because of your gender, my employer won't let me." 

"Jim, you've been 'providing for' me for a long time." 

"The department owes me those benefits, damn it. Every other cop who's married gets them. Why shouldn't I? I'm not letting this go." 

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" Blair asked, stroking Jim's set jaw, and totally undoing Jim's resolve to remain in a hostile state. 

"I love you too, angel. And I want you respected as my life partner--not just some live-in sex partner." 

"It'll all happen in time, lover. We've made a lot of progress since we were spotted kissing in the car that morning. We'll make more." 

"How about making a little progress right now?" Jim shifted onto his side, then rolled them over so Blair was trapped beneath him. A powerful thigh insinuated itself between Blair's legs, which spread willingly. "Want you again," Jim breathed into Blair's ear, then traced the shell with his tongue. He could feel Blair hardening against him, and feel the answering increase in his heartbeat. 

After a long duel of tongues, Blair wriggled under Jim, signaling the larger man to move aside. Jim watched, his arousal building, while Blair rolled over and got onto his knees, holding onto the railing behind the bed, spreading his legs. With a feral gleam in his eyes, Jim snagged the lube off the nightstand and moved up behind his lover, kissing and licking along Blair's spine as he worked some fresh lubricant into the already slick and somewhat relaxed passage. Satisfied the other man was ready when he began thrusting back to meet Jim's fingers, he coated himself and entered Blair in one long, sure stroke. 

"Oooh, God...yeah...do it, Jim...give it to me hard..." Blair was bracing himself on the railing, taking the powerful, steady thrusts coming from his lover. When Jim hit his prostate, he let out a scream, and more followed as Jim adjusted his angle to give the sensitive little gland a vigorous massage. 

"Feels so good," he ground out, groaning himself at the intensity of the rapid movement and the sound of their flesh slapping together. Blair's cries of pleasure filled his hearing, the younger man's musk saturating his sense of smell, the taste of Blair's damp skin exploded on his tongue. He reached under his lover and pumped the engorged shaft he found there in tempo with their passionate lovemaking. 

"Jiiiimmmm...ugh..." Blair gave up on words, letting out one wild cry with his orgasm as it bathed Jim's hand and the bedding under them. 

Blair lost his grip on the railing in his lethargy, and flattened on the bed, with Jim on top of him, riding the tide of Blair's spasms, and reaching his own climax with a hoarse shout. Covering Blair's body with his own, they lay there, still joined, panting and waiting for their heart beats to settle a bit. 

"Blair, baby...that was...unbelievable," Jim finally concluded. 

"So good," Blair gasped in agreement. 

"Can you breathe, sweetheart?" Jim asked, smiling a little, positive he must be squashing the smaller man into the bed. 

"Good enough for right now. Just don't move yet, okay?" 

"I love you." Jim started a little trail of kisses down the side of Blair's neck, lifting the damp curls aside. Then he began lazily licking his way across Blair's back, from shoulder to shoulder, occasionally pausing to leave a prominent passion mark on the smooth skin. 

"Feels good," Blair sighed, sounding drowsy. 

"How about a hot bath?" Jim suggested, then resumed his tongue bath of Blair's neck, shoulders and upper back. 

"Thought that's what I was getting," he responded, turning his head sideways and grinning back at Jim. 

"You've got to be feeling a little on the sticky side by now, baby." Jim slid his arms under Blair annd rolled them on their sides still joined. "I'm going to move now, sweetheart. I'll go slow." Jim reached around and got a hold of Blair's hand, lacing their fingers as he slowly withdrew himself, hearing the expected little grunt from Blair. "Did I hurt you?" 

"I can sure feel it, but I'm fine, lover. I think the whole block knows when I came. Besides, I teach most of the day tomorrow, and I do that standing up anyway." Blair chuckled a little and wriggled back more tightly against Jim. "I'll be a little sore, but that just means I'll be thinking about tonight all day tomorrow." 

"Hope you'll be behind a podium then," Jim quipped, running his hand lightly from Blair's hip up along his side and back again. 

"Mmmmm...keep doing that and we'll have to start over." 

"I think twice is enough for a while, baby. Don't want to wear out my welcome." 

"I don't think it's your welcome that would get worn out, man," Blair responded, laughing. 

"You really think I should let this thing go at the department?" 

"Think about it this way. Sometimes to get a special privilege, you forego a few rights. It's like I've told some of my students who live at home and bitch about their parents all the time. Once you're over 18, living at home for free is a privilege. So for that, you might have to give up a few adult rights. With us, our whole partnership is a privilege. Now if we drag the PD into the spotlight, and the chief has to explain why your male civilian lover is also your partner, you'll find yourself riding with another cop so fast you won't know what hit you. I might get my name down as a beneficiary on your pension, but we won't be working together anymore. I guess our partnership means more right now. And when you think about it, we're already getting special treatment, just being allowed to work together." 

"I hadn't thought about it that way, I guess." Jim started devouring Blair's shoulder again. 

"I think you need to have dinner, mine," Blair teased lovingly as Jim worked on another passion mark on Blair's shoulder. "Do you want a little ketchup with that?" 

"Don't want to let go of you long enough to eat." 

"Tonight was beautiful," Blair said softly. 

"Every night is beautiful. I keep wondering when things are going to change. But they don't," Jim concluded, sounding a bit incredulous. 

"Change how?" Blair shifted and turned over in Jim's arms so they were facing each other, sharing a pillow, their breath mingling in the close, hot space between them. 

"Get old. Get boring. Lose the thrill." 

"That doesn't have to happen," Blair responded softly, running a hand lightly over Jim's chest. 

"I don't have much to offer you by way of excitement, sweetheart. This is about it." 

"You don't get it yet, do you? I'm excited every time I look at you and know you're all mine." Blair closed the marginal distance between them and they shared a lengthy exploration of each other's mouths. Jim pulled his lover tightly into his arms, hands gently stroking Blair's back and buttocks. 

"I love you, baby." Jim chuckled a little at the beginnings of an erection poking him in the stomach. "You're insatiable." He gave Blair's ass a two-handed squeeze, bringing a groan out of the younger man, who answered it with a thrust against Jim. Realizing that Blair was a lot more excited that he was himself at the moment, Jim snagged the lube off the night stand and handed it to Blair. 

"You sure?" Blair asked, not able to hide the hungry look on his face. 

"Positive, Chief," Jim responded, kissing Blair's mouth before turning over on his side and drawing his knees up. He was content to just relax and let anything happen. Two monumental orgasms over the course of the last three hours had left him mellow and comfortable, and while he didn't have any objections to a third one, he wasn't interested in doing anything strenuous. Just lying there and letting Blair orchestrate their pleasure was fine with him. 

Blair's heat drew close to Jim's back, soft lips and tongue nibbling and licking near a shoulder, as one coated finger slipped inside Jim's body. Blair took his time giving his lover a languid internal massage, only adding a finger when he felt complete relaxation around the first one, then finally, ending with three. Jim stiffened and let out a low moan as Blair found his prostate and brushed a devilish fingertip over it a couple of times before drawing his fingers out and replacing them moments later with his lubricated length. 

The smaller man reached around Jim and found his shaft, pumping it in time with his thrusts. Their groans mingled, strangled gasps of pleasure as Jim reached his climax first, calling out Blair's name as his muscles clamped mercilessly on Blair's length. With a shout and a few rapid strokes, he filled Jim's body, then came to rest against his back, now too truly spent to move one way or the other. 

"Did you die on me back there, baby?" Jim asked, a little smile in his tired voice. 

"I think I did it backwards." 

"You were going the right way, trust me, Chief." Jim laughed at the sleepy, almost incoherent statement from Blair. 

"I went to heaven and _then_ I died," Blair clarified as he eased out of Jim's tight passage. Jim's little groan was a bit more suppressed than Blair's when the situation was reversed. 

"Feel okay, mine?" Blair asked softly, snaking an arm around Jim's middle, resting his head against the broad, damp back. 

"Feels great. Still sort of tingly." 

"Mr. Prostate liked it." 

"*Mr.* Prostate?" Jim repeated. Blair giggled. "Go to sleep, Blair. You're getting silly." 

"You were going to give me a bath, remember?" 

"That was when I was conscious. Now you're just going to have to shut up and sleep sticky for a while. If I ever come to, I'll hose you down." 

"Gee, that was poetic." Blair was smiling sleepily against Jim's back, his sated cock happy to dwell in the warm, moist area between Jim's buttocks. His last thoughts were wrapped up in the sense of awe he always felt when Jim let him top. They were so truly part of each other, that there was no place in Jim's body or soul where Blair wasn't welcomed. On that thought, he dozed off into a deep sleep. 

* * *

"Reference, Virginia speaking," Virginia answered her desk phone. 

"Hi, Ginny, this is Sandy in Counseling." 

"Oh, hi. What can I do for you?" 

"Well, I was thinking more about what we could do for Blair. Did he talk to you about them canceling the wedding?" 

"Yes, he stopped by yesterday afternoon. I really feel sorry for them. They deserve to be able to get married for real." 

"Well, we can't do that for them, but maybe we could give them a party. I mean, when my sister got married, there was an engagement party, then a shower, and a bachelor party. Nobody's giving these guys any kind of party at all." 

"Hey, I know--we could call up their boss--you know, Captain Banks over at the police department? He could figure out who to invite from there, and we could get some people together from here..." 

The two women agreed to meet for lunch, notepads in hand, to map out their plan. 

* * *

"Any chance you'd leave it down tonight?" Jim asked Blair as the younger man stood in front of the mirror, still wearing nothing but his towel, with a hand full of freshly blow-dried hair destined for a hair band. 

"If you want." He released the hair and went through the usual little gestures with hands and comb to style it to his liking. 

"New shampoo?" Jim came up behind him, sniffing at the soft curls. 

"If you do that now, we'll never make it to be ready in fifteen minutes." 

"We can be fashionably late." Jim made a reach for the towel but Blair was quicker, holding it in place. 

"I told Virginia we'd meet her and Sandy at seven. I mean, it was really nice of them to take us out for dinner tonight because we're not in Hawaii." Blair didn't bring up the subject that this would have been their wedding day. He didn't regret not making the trip, and it felt right to let their first vows stand. "It's six-thirty now, and by the time we drive there--" 

"Okay. You win." Jim retreated and finished buttoning the cuffs of his white dress shirt. Next he went to work on his tie while trying to ignore the vision of Blair, now completely naked, rifling through the dresser drawer for clean underwear. He gave up on avoiding feeling aroused by his unabashedly nude partner, figuring that he'd have to dial down his senses until he was deaf, dumb and blind in order to accomplish that. 

Blair located his boxers, much to Jim's relief, and then went about getting dressed in the new plum-colored suit and black collarless shirt Jim had picked out for him. He cast an approving eye at Jim, who was slipping into the jacket of his dark grey suit. There was something incredibly sexy about Jim in his "bank president outfit", as Blair had called it. Maybe it was the height and build, or maybe it was that polish and commanding presence that Jim seemed to have whether he was in his sweats or a business suit. All Blair knew is that the prospect of being fashionably late was more and more appealing. 

"I really like this suit," Blair commented, checking his look in the mirror. He had been both touched and excited that Jim had insisted on buying it for him when he spotted it in the window in the mall's trendiest men's store. 

"Next best thing to your birthday suit, Chief," Jim responded, picking up his wallet and tucking it in his pocket. 

"I never would've pegged you as a sex maniac," Blair retorted, laughing a little. 

"Looks can be deceiving. We better get moving, sweetheart." 

* * *

The Heritage Inn was Cascade's most prestigious restaurant and hotel. A converted mansion that featured posh guest rooms on the second and third floors, and palatial dining rooms and banquet rooms on the first floor, the Heritage Inn was the site for many weddings and receptions among the jet set. Jim sighed a little as he contemplated that thought, figuring that maybe someday, two people who were as in love as he and Blair were would be able to make a life commitment, sealed by some legal entity like any other married couple. 

"There's Virginia," Blair said, spotting his friend pacing around the lobby nervously, checking her watch. They were right on time, but she was obviously anxious to see them arrive. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Virginia!" Blair greeted enthusiastically, hugging her and then stepping back while she and Jim shook hands, and exchanged friendly greetings, as they had only met once or twice very briefly before that night. 

"Sandy's already inside," she explained, inclining her head to the left, in the opposite direction of the main dining room. 

"I thought it was that way," Jim replied, looking toward the area where a number of well-dressed patrons were gathering and dispensing with their coats. 

"The coat room is right this way," she advised, leading them momentarily in the opposite direction of their goal so they could check their coats. 

"You look really nice tonight," Jim commented to her, noticing her elegant dark purple velvet dress and tasteful gold jewelry. 

"Thank you. You two look pretty sharp yourselves," she responded, guiding them away from the dining room and down a long hallway to a set of double oak doors, tightly closed. 

"What's going on?" Jim asked, his hearing picking up the sounds of hushed voices and movements from behind the closed doors. 

"What is it, Jim?" Blair could tell his partner was picking up on something, since he had that intense look on his face that indicated he was focusing on something Blair couldn't hear. 

Sensing that their carefully laid plan to surprise Jim and Blair was about to crash around their ears if she prolonged the suspense any longer, Virginia threw open the double doors and stepped aside. The darkened room came to life with lights and shouts of "Surprise!" as the stunned couple entered the elegant banquet room, which had been arranged with numerous dining tables around a dance floor, with a small stage where a band, having waited for the big moment, began to play something soft and slow. Simon and Sandy made their way up to the guests of honor. Like most of the men at the gathering, Simon was dressed to the nines in his dark green suit, and had been sharing a few laughs with Sandy, who had worn a rich dark green satin dress for the occasion. They had reached the agreement that great minds did indeed think alike. 

"Meet my partners in crime," Virginia said, smiling as handshakes and hugs were exchanged in all directions. 

"What's the occasion?" Jim finally asked, draping an arm around Blair's shoulders. 

"It's really lousy that you can't officially get married, but you've made vows, and it seems like you were missing a wedding reception. This is it," Sandy explained, smiling at their stunned expressions. 

"This is...wow..." Blair broke off with a little amazed chuckle. Jim smiled down at him fondly. 

"You caught him speechless. Anybody got a camera?" Jim quipped. On cue, a flashbulb ignited from among the crowd, bringing a wave of laughter from the party guests. Joel emerged with the camera in hand, laughing. 

"I was elected party photographer, guys. So behave yourselves." 

"So you and these two beautiful ladies set this up?" Jim asked Simon, who had been enjoying Sandy's company while he waited for the guests to arrive. 

"They called me with the idea, but once I mentioned it around the bullpen, it kind of snowballed into a group effort." 

"I think we should get some champagne flowing here," Joel spoke up, figuring the happy couple had been kept in the spotlight long enough. The group mingled into the crowd of party-goers, recognizing a myriad of faces from both the PD and the University. 

As the evening progressed, guests dined on gourmet foods, danced to the live music, and finally participated in karaoke as the band retired for the evening. There were a few serious attempts at real singing, a free-for-all or two when a bunch of guys from the PD, including Jim, Blair, Simon, Joel, Ryf and Brown ended up doing a very warped version of "Heard It Through the Grapevine", complete with the most ungodly rendition of Motown dance moves that any of the guests had ever seen. 

As the merriment continued, Blair made his way up near the stage, and when Rhonda, Serena, Sandy and Virginia finished their version of "My Guy", which was in an unofficial talent contest against the guys' "Grapevine" performance of earlier in the evening, he slipped up to the microphone. 

"Can I have everybody's attention for a minute?" He waited a few moments, and the noisy crowd quieted fairly quickly. "One of the reasons that Jim and I decided not to go to Hawaii to get married is that we weren't going to be sharing the experience with very many of our friends there. Thanks to all of you tonight, we got a chance to celebrate our commitment with the people who mean the most to us. So, if Jim's willing to come up here with me, I'd like to, um, say a few words when all our friends are here to hear it." Blair waited, a bit nervously, hoping that his little impromptu announcement was all right with his partner. 

Jim soon made his way up to join Blair, a soft smile on his face. He leaned forward and kissed Blair's lips lightly and quickly, standing back a little to see what his lover would do next. 

"I was thinking that we had planned to say our vows to each other in Hawaii today, and since we've got all our friends here, this is even better. I know we can't have a legal wedding, but we can have one in every way that matters." Blair was talking to Jim, but close enough to the microphone for the party guests to hear him. 

"You go first, sweetheart," Jim said with a smile, which brought a laugh out of Blair and most of their friends. Blair's smile faded a little and he took a hold of both of Jim's hands. 

* * *

"A lot of times, you tell me how many things I've done for you or you tell me how much better your life is with me in it. When you do that, it makes me feel...well, I don't know how to put it into words. But it makes me feel so much more than I ever felt about anything before. When I try to tell you what it means to me to have you, I get this feeling that you never believe me that I'm as lucky to have you as you are to have me--probably a lot luckier." Blair smiled at Jim's little chuckle and shake of the head. 

"Jim, you give me something no one's ever given me before. You've made me the center of your life. You always think of me first, whether it's on the job, or at home...even if you pick out what we watch on TV, you give in real easily if I'm not happy with it. When things got rough for us, you made it clear to me where your loyalties were. They weren't where it was easiest, or best for your career, or smoothest for you personally. _I_ was your priority. _I_ came first. Do you have any idea what an amazing gift that is to give someone? To put them first, above yourself? It's a remarkable gift, and I'm so grateful for it, you'll never understand how much it means to me." Blair smiled a little shakily as Jim reached up to quickly stroke his lover's cheek. 

"I can take you for granted. I don't ever want to do that in a bad way, but there's something very wonderful about having someone in your life, whose love is so strong and so steady that you can just know it's there, no matter what. I don't have to wonder if you'll be there for me. I just accept it as a given in my life. You're there. If I'm sick, I don't have to wonder if you'll be able to find time to take care of me. You do it. Period. If I'm depressed, I know I can dump it all on you and you'll make it better. If I'm stressed out or tired, I just _know_ you're going to be there for me to help me relax or to give me the kick in the ass I need to get moving again," Blair concluded, smiling as Jim and the other guests laughed a little. Jim reached up to brush at his eyes. Blair became very serious as he made a point to have a moment of silent, significant eye contact with Jim before he made the next statement. 

"I feel safe to need you, and I do, _so much_. And you never let me down. You've taught me what 'home' means, and you're the center my whole life revolves around. All the things you do for me...you said once you didn't think you were much of a romantic--there's nothing more romantic than wanting to take care of another person you love. I get on you sometimes that I can take care of myself, but the truth is, I love the way you _want_ to take care of me--and the way you spoil me. And I love your protectiveness, and your indulgence--you always let me be me, and even if you can't quite figure me out sometimes, you don't try to change me. You love _me_ , the real one--not the chameleon who can fit in anywhere. You love Blair Sandburg just as he really is." 

"Maybe more than anything else, I love the way you love me. You make me feel like some kind of rare treasure--" 

"Because you are," Jim cut in, his voice husky as he kissed Blair's hand. 

"And sometimes we argue or we don't agree, but you don't attack me personally. You don't make fun of me or my beliefs, even when they're totally opposite from yours. Look at us," Blair made a gesture with his hands indicating their difference in height, then grabbed hold of Jim's hands again. "Do you know you never make short jokes to me--not even the stuff that's supposed to be 'all in good fun'? Do you know what kind of respect that shows me? I feel ten feet tall when I'm with you. There just aren't ever going to be enough words, or the right ones, but I had to try to explain it somehow. And I want you to know that I promise to be with you for eternity--in life, and beyond. I'll never love anyone else the way I love you...and I'll love you that way forever." Blair looked into Jim's moist eyes with all the love in the world, and waited for a response. 

"No one could ever really call me a poet--I'm not all that great with words," he began. "You're right that there aren't any that are adequate for us...there never will be. I planned on doing this later, in private, but since I've got a karaoke machine to back me up, I should probably do it now, so I won't sound as pathetic," Jim paused while Blair and the other guests laughed, and he smiled at Blair's puzzled expression. "I was going to steal some words from a song, because it says so much of what I want to say, and I'm never going to get it right if I try to say it myself. But before I embarrass us both here with this song, I want you to know that you're the light of my life, and the most beautiful, incredible thing that ever happened to me. There isn't a day I don't thank God for letting our paths cross, because just picturing what my life would be without you in it is too painful." Jim leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Blair's forehead, while the smaller man's eyes drifted shut at the contact. When he stood back, Jim grinned. "You got that tape cued up, Tony?" he asked the man who had been operating the karaoke machine. With a nod, he handed Jim the microphone and started the tape. Jim stood face to face with Blair, still holding one of his lover's hands. The first slow chords of the song came through the speaker system, the lead in to Collin Raye's version of "In This Life". Jim surprised himself as much as his audience when his voice sounded quite good with the tape backing him on the romantic ballad. 

//For all I've been blessed with in this life,  
There was an emptiness in me.  
I was imprisoned by the power of gold,  
With one honest touch you set me free. 

Let the world stop turnin',  
Let the sun stop burnin',  
Let them tell me love's not worth goin' through,  
If it all falls apart,  
I will know deep in my heart,  
The only dream that mattered had come true:  
In this life, I was loved by you. 

For every mountain I have climbed,  
For every raging river crossed,  
You were the treasure that I longed to find,  
Without your love I would be lost. 

Let the world stop turnin',  
Let the sun stop burnin',  
Let them tell me love's not worth goin' through,  
If it all falls apart,  
I will know deep in my heart,  
The only dream that mattered had come true:  
In this life, I was loved by you.  
In this life, I was loved by you.// 

When Jim finished his song, there were very few dry eyes in the house, and Blair's were certainly not among them, as Jim pulled his softly crying partner into his arms. 

"I love you, sweetheart. Everything I am, everything I have...it's yours. Now and forever." Jim concluded his vows with the karaoke microphone, which he could still speak into over Blair's shoulder. After a few long moments holding each other, they were disturbed by the loud clinking of a fork against a glass. They pulled apart, smiling and sharing a quick kiss before turning and descending from the stage. 

"I'd like to propose a toast," Simon spoke up as the crowd quieted and the guests of honor returned to their places at their table. "It's no secret to everyone here that Jim and Blair had a rough time of it for a while there, when they first got together. I don't remember any of us at work slapping them on the backs and saying 'hey, that's great, congratulations!' The best they got was, 'this is going to be difficult, you know', and at the worst, well, there are guys doing time for the downside." 

"So I guess on behalf of all of us who are here from the PD tonight, I'd like to apologize that we didn't think of this first. We didn't throw you two any parties, we didn't even say 'congratulations'. You had to be happy to just not be harassed in the break room or assaulted in the parking garage. Your friends didn't celebrate the good news with you. We did all but offer our sympathies. I'm not proud of that, or of any of us for letting it be that way. The upside of all this is that throughout all of it, I've never seen a love quite like the one you two seem to have found with each other. It's the kind that's absolute. There is _no_ question what's going to come first for either one of you, and sometimes, that pisses me off a little as your boss," Simon said with a smile, bringing a laugh out of the group, "but it impresses the hell out of me as a human being." 

"I admit to never taking same sex unions too seriously, until I saw this one. If any one of us in this room is fortunate enough to find the kind of love you two have, he or she will be truly blessed, no matter what form it comes in. So, to everyone's relief, I'll wind up my little speech here," Simon stated, drawing a few smiles. Jim and Blair were sitting quietly, holding hands, deeply moved by Simon's speech. 

"To Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg--a long and happy life together--you've earned it, my friends." 

* * *

The two men rode up in the elevator in silence. Both were tired, had indulged in quite a volume of champagne, and were happy to be home. Jim unlocked the door, and Blair took a hold of his arm. 

"Want me to carry you across the threshold, big guy?" He flexed his eyebrows and Jim laughed. 

"Maybe we should pass on that part of the tradition, huh?" 

"Good idea. I want my back to be in good shape for more important traditions." Blair walked through the open door, and Jim shut and locked it behind them. "There's still the little matter of your Valentine present." 

"Can I unwrap it now?" Jim asked, sliding his arms around Blair's waist, pulling them close together. 

"It's upstairs." 

"So's yours," Jim responded, leaning in for a prolonged kiss. When he drew back, Blair was smiling, a bit skeptically. "No, really, it's upstairs." 

"Guess we better go have a look then." Blair took his lover's hand and headed up the stairs. 

Blair released Jim's hand long enough to rifle through his underwear drawer and pull out a package the size of a small shirt box. He tossed his suitcoat on the bed and opened the neck of his shirt, while Jim was dispensing with his tie as swiftly and carelessly as an experienced stripper tossing her g-string to the crowd. Kicking off his shoes, Blair sat Indian-style on the bed and waited for Jim to go through a similar ritual. Jim retrieved his package from the back of the closet shelf, which he knew was a safe hiding place, since Blair couldn't reach it without a chair. It was a good-sized box, about fifteen inches square, wrapped in red paper embossed with little red foil hearts. Blair's gift for Jim was wrapped in paper that came dangerously close to matching the stuffed gorilla's boxers. 

"Wanna go first?" Blair asked. 

"Sure." Jim took the package and tore off the paper, then opened the flat box inside. He laughed when he pulled out a pair of boxer shorts--white satin with red hearts. 

"That's kind of a present I get to share. Your real present's under them--still in the box." Blair pushed some of the tissue paper aside as Jim took out a wrapped bundle. After divesting it of its multiple layers of paper, he found himself holding an elegant man's watch, gold with a black face and gold hands. "I thought you could use a nice dressy one," Blair spoke up again. "Look on the back." 

"'Timeless Love, Ageless Us... Love, Blair'," Jim read the tiny engraving easily, recognizing the words to a love song Blair had said fit them perfectly. A love song he found, of all places, on the soundtrack to a horror movie. It was stirring and beautiful nonetheless, and Blair was convinced it should be their song. Jim fought a hard battle with his emotions, and knowing a couple of tears were going to escape no matter what he did, he let them, and pulled Blair into his arms. "I love it, sweetheart. It's perfect. Just like you." 

"I love you, mine. Always and forever." 

"For better or for worse," Jim countered, pulling back and smiling a little at the face he adored. 

"I do," they said in unison, then chuckled a little at their perfect timing. 

"My turn?" Blair asked, grinning as Jim was busily trying on his watch. 

"Anytime, baby." Jim watched with a grin as Blair tore into the package with his usual gusto, finally opening the square white box and tossing tissue paper in all directions. With a little indrawn breath, he removed a substantial brass statue, about twelve inches tall and at least that wide. Two swans faced each other, joined head to head and heart to heart. "Swans mate for life, angel. Forever. Just one perfect mate. Like us." Jim reached out to stroke Blair's hair. 

"I love you," Blair choked out before setting the statue on the night stand and then throwing himself into Jim's arms, toppling them both back onto the bed. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Jim squeezed Blair tightly against him. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, mine. All mine, forever," Blair added, returning the pressure of the intense embrace. 

The two men made slow, passionate love under the watchful eyes of the mated brass swans. 

* * *

The song "Timeless Love" appears on the soundtrack to the movie "Shocker", and is available on SBK Records. Lyrics follow, for those who are interested. It was written by one of my favorite composers, Desmond Child. 

//Though we'll never live this moment again  
The clock is ticking away in vain  
Time itself has chased us down  
But we've tricked it at its own game  
Nothing to keep me from you... 

I don't have to see you everyday  
Only fools put chains on love  
And if I had to live life through  
Alone and without you  
It wouldn't change a thing... 

Timeless love  
Ageless us  
There's no end  
Always was  
A timeless love  
Heaven born  
Ancient vows  
Never to be torn 

There is no tomorrow in my heart  
Only dreamers believe in time  
So let's leave no regrets behind  
I'll give it all  
When I'm with you... 

Timeless love  
Ageless us  
There's no end  
Always was  
A timeless love  
Heaven born  
Ancient vows  
Never to be torn  
There's no longing when you see my eyes  
There's no distance when I let you go  
'Cause I know a timeless love  
On this rock  
Take me now  
And make a lovebird   
Of the cuckoo in the clock 

End 


End file.
